


I Will Find You

by Murphy22



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Apocalypse, Bottom Liam, Bottom Louis, Eventual Smut, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Top Harry, Top Zayn Malik, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2020-02-29 21:15:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18786352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Murphy22/pseuds/Murphy22
Summary: Louis has been on his own in the apocalypse for a long time, but when he runs into Harry all of that changes. Will Harry be able to break through his walls? Will they survive the zombie apocalypse and possibly find love along the way? (inspired by Walking Dead)





	1. Live While We're Young

            Louis was driving down the road. Everything had gone so silent after the apocalypse broke out. He hadn’t seen another living person in over a year. The only company he had was the dead. And they weren’t exactly the best conversation starters. Anyway, Louis noticed that he was running low on gas. He knew trying a gas station would be a waste of time, so he stopped to siphon gas out of the abandoned cars on the side of the road. He was now a pro at sucking gas out of a car. When he was finished he thought he heard something. He looked up and saw a man running from a zombie. Louis didn’t want to waste a bullet on something that was none of his business. The man got closer and began to scream for help. The screams were hard to ignore, but Louis did. Then he saw the man trip and fall. Louis wasn’t too far away and he knew he could help, but he didn’t see the point. The zombie was so close to the boy that he could almost taste him. Then Louis said,” Shit.” He walked up to the zombie, took out his gun, and shot it in the head. Then he looked down at the zombie. She was a young blonde thing. Louis walked off. The man took a breath, stood up, and trailed after Louis. He said,” Thank you so much.”

Louis scoffed,” I wasted a bullet on you.”

“Yeah, anyway I’m Harry, and you are?”

“Leaving.”

Harry grabbed Louis’s arm.

“Maybe I could come with you. I mean you can’t make it on your own out there.”

He pushed Harry’s arm aside. “No, you can’t make it on your own.”

He could tell that he hurt Harry’s feelings, but it was a tough world. And it was not made for the Harry’s of the world. He was too nice. He was too soft.

“Please….”

Louis looked at him. He knew he shouldn’t, but he said,” Fine, you can tag along, but the minute you cause me trouble I leave you to the zombies.”

            Harry nodded his head. They both got into the car. Louis looked over at Harry for a split second. He looked like he had seen and survived a lot. Maybe he was tougher than Louis thought. The sad look on his face compelled Louis to ask,” Did you know her?”

Harry sighed,” Her name was Taylor. We traveled together for a while.”

“She your girlfriend?”

“No, but nobody deserves to turn into that.”

He was right.

“I’m Louis by the way.”

Harry smiled. “Nice to meet you, Louis.”

            Louis held back a smile. He couldn’t have friends in this world. He could not afford to get attached to people. After that they rode in silence. Then Harry’s stomach began to growl. They decided they should probably make a supply run because Louis barely had enough for himself. They found a run down market. When they got out of the car Louis gave Harry his machete. The guy needed to be able to defend himself somehow. Luckily, there were no zombies in the store. They packed as much as they could in their bags. Louis said,” Remember only get the stuff that will last.” Harry nodded. Louis worried about him. He wasn’t sure if this guy would make it or not. He shook his head and tried to focus on the task at hand.

            When they finally finished at the store, they noticed that it was getting dark. Louis knew it was a bad idea to be out at night with zombies lurking, so they decided to hall up in the market. They barricaded all of the exits as best as they could. They got into sleeping bags and laid there in silence, well at least until Harry started to talk. The guy talked a lot. Louis actually missed the quiet life before Harry. Anyway, Harry said,” So what did you do before the apocalypse?”

Louis shrugged,” Nothing important.”

“You’re not much of a talker are you?”

“I’ve been alone for a while.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Louis sat up on his arms.” For what?”

“To be alone like you are I guessed you must have lost a few people?”

Louis laid back down and ignored the question.

Harry continued,” You think there is a cure out there?”

Louis answered,” Yeah, and Santa Claus is going to be the one to bring it to us.”

            That was the end of that conversation. Louis wasn’t sure if he hurt Harry’s feeling or if he just fell asleep. Either way, there was finally some peace and quiet. He didn’t understand why Harry had to try and get to know him. In this world, you don’t make friends. Louis started to think about a world without zombies. It had been so long ago that he barely remembered a day before the zombies. It was a whole different life. He remembered playing football. It was the last good memory he had. It was the only thing that he could cling to in this time. Then there was banging at the door. Harry quickly jumped out of the bed to go check it out. He said,” There’s a guy, and he needs help.” Harry began to unlock the door. Before he could finish Louis pushed him up against the wall.

Louis yelled,” Are you fucking insane?”

“He needs help.”

“I already took in one stray, and I am not a shelter.”

Then the guy outside screamed,” Please help me!”

Harry pleaded,” Please, we can’t just leave him.”

Louis unclasped Harry’s shirt and stepped back. “If anything happens…..”

Harry unlocked the door and helped the guy in. The boy fell to the ground he was bleeding from his side.

Louis said,” No fucking way. He was bitten. Through him back to the zombies.”

The bleeding man replied,” Please no….”

He was cut off by his own coughing.

Harry helped the guy to his feet and led him to the sleeping bag. He said,” You don’t know that.”

Louis put his arms up in frustration, and then he locked the door.

            Harry hurried to get supplied to bandage the wound. He was cruddy at sewing, but he closed up the wound. The guy was now sleeping soundly. There was still blood everywhere, and now it was all over Harry. Louis could tell that Harry would be the death of him. Harry wanted to help people. It was noble, but in this world, it would only get you killed. He didn’t know how to make Harry understand this. Louis looked over at him and asked,” Why do you do it?”

Harry smiled,” Human kindness is all we have left.”

            The next morning Harry was still taking care of the man. Louis was still worried this would literally come back to bite them. Anyway, it was morning and they could move now. Louis wanted to leave this guy, but he knew that Harry would never let him. How could he convince him that this guy could be dangerous? The guy was finally waking up. So far he looked normal, which was a good sign. Harry helped him sit up and gave him a bottle of water. The guy replied,” Thank you for your kindness.”

Harry replied,” It was no problem. What happened to you?”

He sipped slowly at the water and replied,” Not every person in this world is kind.”

Harry glanced over at Louis with a sad expression.

“What did they do?”

“A group of guy stabbed me, and they stole my stuff. Then I ran into some zombies, and I was defenseless. So I ran as fast as I could until I got here.”

Louis breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't bitten.

“What’s your name?”

“Niall.”

Harry grinned,” Well I’m Harry, and that chatty guy over there is Louis.”

Niall laughed.

Louis interrupted,” So now that he’s up and running let's go Harry.”

Harry stood up with a frustrated look on his face.” He’s coming with us.”

“I told you I don’t travel well with others.”

“You picked me up.”

“And I’ve regretted every moment of it.”

There was a look of realization in Harry’s eyes. “You need us just as much as we need you. He’s coming.”

            That was the end of the discussion. Louis swore under his breath. He couldn’t catch a break. After they packed up, they all got in the car and drove off. Harry and Niall conversed the whole time. They acted like it was just another day, and the world hadn’t gone to shit. They didn’t seem to fully understand how bad things were. Louis felt like a babysitter around these two. They wouldn’t stop messing around, and Louis threatened to turn the car around a few times, which only made them laugh. Then Niall asked,” So Louis why so serious all the time?”

Harry replied,” He’s just a tough shell to crack.”

Niall and Harry laughed.

Louis added,” Or maybe I just realize how serious the predicament we are in is.”

Niall said,” Come on, you never cut loose?”

Then Harry yelped,” Oh wait! I know something that might help.”

He rummaged through his bag and took out a football.

Harry continued, “Stop the car.”

Louis protested,” No.”

“Stop the car or I’ll take the wheel.”

Louis complied, and everyone got out of the car. Louis stayed near the car. He was reluctant to participate. Harry and Niall began to kick the ball around. They looked like they were having so much fun just running around and acting like idiots. Then Harry kicked the ball to Louis. Louis stopped it. He considered what to do. He wanted to play, but it wasn’t the time for games. Then Harry yelled,” Kick it!” Louis didn’t know what came over him, but he kicked the ball to them. Harry and Niall yelled in amazement. Then they proceeded to kick the ball around and goof off. It was the first time that Louis had had fun in such a long time. It was freeing. He almost forgot about zombies. It was the first good memory he had of this world. Everything had changed.

After an hour or so they went back to the car because Niall’s wound was starting to hurt. Harry jumped in the driver’s seat. Louis yelled at him to get out, but he was resolved to stay put. Louis was too tired to argue, so he gave him the keys. He would never admit it, but he was so tired from…well everything…that he was grateful to have a break. He could just relax. It was an odd feeling for him to just relax. Nothing had ever been this simple or fun. He was waiting for something bad to happen. He knew the good times couldn’t continue for long. Part of him hated that moment of fun he had because he knew it would never last. Soon it would just be a distant memory.

They had to make camp in the woods. It wasn’t the best option, but because of their little game, they were nowhere near anything. So now they were out in the woods sitting at a roaring fire. Niall and Harry seemed to enjoy it. But then again they seemed to enjoy everything. Niall quickly fell asleep.  He had exhausted himself from the game. Harry smiled at the roaring fire. Louis wondered how he could always be so happy. Harry noticed Louis staring at him, and he said,” Today was fun.”

Louis replied,” It was okay.”

Harry laughed,” You’re a liar. I know you love football.”

Louis was perplexed,” How?”

“You talk in your sleep.”

Louis didn’t know what to say to that. That meant that Harry purposefully got that ball for him. He had never had anyone do something like that for him. Was Harry becoming his friend? He had never let his guard down like this before. He never needed friends or wanted them before. What was happening to him?


	2. Ready to Run

            The rest of the night was surprisingly peaceful. Louis thought Harry and Niall would run around acting like children all night. He guessed maybe the boys did realize how important it was not to be detected by zombies. Niall and Harry finally fell asleep, but Louis always had trouble getting to sleep. He tried to avoid it as long as he possibly could. Sleeping was a risk out in the open, but the lack of sleep could be as well. There was never a moment that you were truly safe. Then Harry began to stir from his sleep. His hair was crazy and going in all different directions. Louis stifled a laugh. Harry sat by the fire and warmed his hands. Harry looked over at him. Louis could only imagine how tired he looked. Then Harry said,” Why don’t you sleep. I’ll take watch for a while.”

He replied,” No, I’m fine.”

“You know the point of traveling together is so we can survive, and you’re starting to look more like a zombie than human.”

Then they heard something in the woods. Harry immediately got up to see what it was. Louis sighed and followed him. They finally came across another campsite. It looked like there was at least thirty people there. Harry’s eyes began to widen with the possibility of civilization. Before Harry could run to them Louis grabbed his arm. He whispered for him to wait. Louis took the lead and stalked closer to the campsite. Luckily it was so dark that they couldn’t be seen. All they had to do was stay completely silent. They watched them for a few minutes. Most of the people were men. Two men caught their eyes. They were fairly young. They were sitting next to a huge campfire. They seemed out of place. Then their attention shifted to the man in front of the two guys. The man was saying something that they couldn’t hear. Then another man was called to stand with the man speaking. The man sliced open the unsuspecting guy’s throat. Then he said, “Let’s eat.” The man began to cackle. Louis looked over at Harry and noticed the horror and fear in his eyes. Louis grabbed his arm and they both ran back to their camp. He quickly put out the fire while Harry woke up Niall. Niall was groggy and confused. Louis said,” Pack up! Our neighbors appear to be cannibals.” And that was all Niall needed to hear to get on his feet.

Then Harry asked,” Aren’t we going to help them.”

Niall was loading things into the car.

Louis responded,” Harry, I get it. You want to help people, but you can’t save everyone. That back there is a suicide mission that I will not be a part of.”

Harry seemed to understand and got in the car.

            Louis began to drive as far away from there as possible. He knew that Harry was upset that he couldn’t help, but there was no time to make him feel better. Survival was more important than feelings. Cannibals were one of the worst things to come from this world. It wasn’t enough that they had to deal with the undead, but now the living were killing each other. The silence was finally broken when Niall said,” You okay Harry?”

Harry shrugged.

Louis added,” Don’t beat yourself up over this. The only thing we would have accomplished was being their next meal.”

Harry replied,” The world shouldn’t be this way.”

Louis sighed,” It is what it is.”

            They drove until sunrise. They were all still very exhausted, and Louis hadn’t slept at all last night. Niall suggested that they find a house to stay in. They agreed on the idea. They picked one and got out of the car. When they got out of the car Louis noticed that Niall also didn’t have a weapon. Apparently nobody except him was ready for the apocalypse. He sighed and grabbed a bat out of the back of the car. These boys had no idea how lucky they were. At least he was prepared. He threw the bat to him. Niall was caught off guard and almost dropped it. Harry laughed, “Smooth.” Niall shook it off with a smile. Then the boys went through the house searching for zombies. Louis took out his Bowie knife because he didn’t want to waste bullets and possibly attract other zombies. Harry saw one in the kitchen, and he swung his machete into the zombies head. Niall had a look of amazement on his face. Harry bent down to look at the zombie he had just killed. He just kept staring at him. Then Louis asked,” Did you know him?”

Harry responded,” Somebody did.”

            Louis had never thought of it like that before. The guy didn’t mean anything to him, so he never really felt remorse for what he had to do. Harry did appear to be more sensitive than any of them, but he did make some goof points. He felt too much for the forgotten, but at least someone felt something for them. They had a brief moment of silence for the forgotten soul, and then they continued on through the house. The rest of the house was clear. They barricaded all of the exits, and then they all crashed. Niall took one of the beds because of his injury. Harry practically forced Louis to take the other bedroom. Louis was perfectly fine with taking the couch, but Harry persisted. And he was too tired to argue. He slept for a few hours, but then one of his recurring nightmares woke him from his slumber. He looked out the window to see that it was dark. He couldn’t have slept the whole night? He guessed that he could never catch a break. Anyway, he went downstairs to get a drink. Of course nothing was cold, because apparently a zombie apocalypse also brings us back into the dark ages. Then he heard a groggy hair say,” Is someone there?”

Louis walked over and said,” Just me.”

Harry sat up on the couch to make room for Louis.

He sat down.

Harry asked,” Sleep well?”

Louis nodded.

Harry continued,” You really are a terrible liar.”

Then he replied,” How do you do it?”

Harry yawned,” What do you mean?”

“You haven’t let this world change you.”

“Life’s hard no matter what apocalypse you’re going through.”

Louis laughed,” Are you always this much of a fortune cookie?”

They both started to laugh, but Louis quickly regained his composure.

            After that Louis returned to his bed. He couldn’t sleep, so he just lied there until morning. He started to think about everything that had recently happened to him. Part of him desperately wanted to stay in a group with these boys, but the other part of me was screaming at me to leave them. Sometimes you were better off alone in this world. He decided that he would wait until he could get these two somewhere safe. There had to be somewhere that he could drop them off, because as long as they were with him they would never be safe. He wasn’t the best person to lead anyone. He wasn’t sure how much longer he actually could take them. It wasn’t that he hated them, but he couldn’t continue like this.

            In the morning Louis walked outside to secure the perimeter. There were no zombies for miles. But something wasn’t right. He couldn’t shake this feeling that something was wrong. He sneakily went to the back where he saw a young man crouching in the bushes. Louis came behind him and pointed his gun to the guy’s head. Louis demanded,” You do anything besides what I tell you and your brains will be splattered all over the ground.” The guy nodded. They walked back inside the house. Then Louis saw another man standing over Niall and Harry, who were sitting on the couch. He had a gun pointed at their heads. Then Louis remembered he had seen these guys before. They were with the cannibals. They both held their positions. Then the guy said,” Drop the gun, and everyone gets to live.”

Louis scoffed,” I’m pretty sure this guy means more to you than those two mean to me.”

He could tell that Niall and Harry were hurt by this comment, but it was the best route to take.

Harry interjected,” We are not the enemy.”

Louis continued,” They were with the cannibals.”

The shock in Harry’s face was utterly heartbreaking.

Louis’s captive said,” We didn’t know about that. We’re running from them. We just need supplies. Liam, put the gun down.”

Liam hesitated, but he did as he was told.

Louis wasn’t as willing to let his go, so he asked,” What happened?”

Liam responded,” Zayn and I were traveling on the road, and we met some guys that thought we would be a perfect addition to their group. Apparently they recruit the strong and eat those they deem weak. We wouldn’t do it, so we ran, and they are not too far behind us.”

Louis lowered his weapon.” Get what you need and get out.”

Harry stood up and protested,” Aren’t we better as a group? I mean we could watch each other’s backs.”

Louis sighed,” Harry and Niall, can I see you for a minute…in private.”

They went into the kitchen leaving Zayn and Liam in the living room.

Niall started,” I actually think Harry’s got a point.”

Louis responded,” They could be lying.”

“Or they could just need help.”

Louis wanted to punch them both, but he refrained and took a deep breath. Niall had a smug look on his face that made Louis rethink his position on not hitting him.

“You two will be the death of me.”

They returned to the living room, and Louis continued,” Either of you try anything, and I will shoot you in the head without hesitation.”

They both nodded.

            Then Louis heard something and walked to the window. The cannibal from last night had just slashed their tires. They were closer than they thought. Louis whispered,” Grab the supplies, and follow my lead.” They all followed his orders. They barely escaped the house without detection. They started walking the road. It was very open, but it was all they could do without a car. Louis kept an eye on Liam. He wasn’t really worried about the other one. Despite the fact that Zayn was wielding an axe, he wasn’t all that scary. Now Liam looked a little to trigger happy, and that worried Louis. Now he couldn’t leave at least not yet.

            They finally made it to some more woods. It would be the best place to hide from cannibals, but zombies would be more difficult to avoid. So far they had gotten lucky. Sleeping in the woods was not the best option, but they would just have to watch each other’s backs. Harry and Niall made a fire. Everybody went to sleep fairly quickly except Liam and Louis. They didn’t trust each other, and they wouldn’t fall asleep while the other was awake. Louis finally decided to get some more firewood. It was really just an excuse to leave Liam’s stare. He found a tree far enough away from Liam, but close enough to hear if anything went wrong. He slid down the tree and tried to get some sleep.

            Louis was in a field surrounded by zombies. These weren’t just any zombies. They were people he knew, and he cared about them. He didn’t want to fight anymore. He just stood there and let them devour his flesh. Then he shook awake. He was still up against the tree in the woods, and now Harry was sitting across from him at the other tree. Was he staring at him? He had a concerned look on his face. Then Harry said,” Nightmare?”

Louis avoided his gaze.

Harry continued,” I think nightmares are normal in this world. So when exactly where you planning on leaving us?”

Louis asked,” How did you know that?”

“I could tell you have been trying to get away for a while now.”

“Well Liam can lead you guys. You don’t need me.”

“Can’t you see Liam’s scared out of his mind? He just wants you to believe he’s as tough as he looks.”

“I’m not fit to be anyone’s leader.”

Harry laughed,” You’re the best we’ve got.”

“Then you’re all going to die.”

Harry sighed,” You’re right. We are all going to die, but why would you want to die alone?”

            And then he left Louis alone in the dark. Louis sighed. He hated when Harry would say things like that. He didn’t believe in much anymore, but these guys were making him wonder. Then he heard something in the woods. Before he could get up the cannibal from earlier had a gun pointed at his head. He told Louis to slowly stand up, and he complied. They walked back to the campfire. Apparently everyone had been caught. Louis guessed they were all going to die earlier than he thought.

            They were lead to an abandoned building. Their hands were bound. The man kept walking back and forth. Louis wished they would just get it over with. He did hope that they would kill them before they ate them. Then the man said,” Hello again Liam and Zayn. I see you found a new group.” The guy looked over at Louis.” Is this your new leader? He doesn’t look like much.”

Louis replied,” Bite me.”

He laughed,” That’s the idea.”

            The man continued to talk about the joys of eating people. He was going through a whole dramatic monologue. While he was doing this Louis had taken a knife out of his back pocket and was attempting to cut the ropes. These cannibals sucked at checking for concealed weapons. The cannibal came closer to Louis, and when he got his chance he head-butted the cannibal. Then the fighting began. Louis tossed his knife to Niall, who began to untie himself. There was only three other guys, but they were a lot stronger than Louis. He got in a few hits but so did they. When the cannibal’s leader made it back to his feet he ordered his men to run. The man made it to the door before Louis could catch him. Then Louis thought he smelled gasoline. Turns out the place was covered in it. The man lit a match, threw it down, and locked the door.

            The place was quickly going up in flames. Louis was coughing. He found a window and broke it open, but in the process he sliced his hand open. He yelled for the guys to follow him. By the time they were back outside everyone was coughing. They all fell to the ground. Louis looked up to check on everyone, but he didn’t see Harry. He asked,” Where’s Harry?”

Niall replied,” Oh no. He might still be tied up.”

Louis took the knife from Niall and started back towards the building.

Liam grabbed his arm and said,” The place is up in flames. It would be suicide to go back in. No need to die with him.”

Louis seemed to realize something. “Nobody should die alone.”

Louis pulled free from Liam and ran back inside the building.


	3. Little White Lies

The heat from the fire was unbearable. Louis felt like his lungs were going to give out. Every breath was a struggle. His vision was greatly impaired by the smoke. Debris was everywhere. He could hear Harry screaming for someone to help him, but he was nowhere to be seen. When he finally caught a glimpse of him he ran towards him. His jeans snagged on a pipe. He yanked them free and continued to Harry, who had a beam on top of him. He could see the distressed look on his face. Louis mustered all the strength in his body and began to lift. The process was tiring and he almost dropped it several times. His muscles screamed in agony. His lungs pleaded for him to retreat. As he coughed while taking in a breath, he pulled the beam off of Harry. Harry doubled over in pain. Louis inspected him, and luckily he was just going to be badly bruised. Harry came to his feet and looked at Louis. He gave him a look of appreciation and admiration. Then he looked down at Louis’s thigh. His jeans were massively ripped and soaked in his blood. Louis followed his gaze. He didn’t notice it earlier. The only thing he was concerned about was Harry’s safety. Of course helping someone would be the cause of his own death. He should have known better.

         Then Louis began to finally feel the effects of blood loss. He could tell that Harry was in pain, but he still offered his shoulder to Louis. They slowly made their way out of the burning building. When Niall saw them he ran to them. When he had a grip on Louis Harry fell to the ground. Niall put him as gently on the grass as he could. After Harry was done coughing up a lung, he went to check on Louis. The blood began to form a puddle on the grass. He inspected it, and he knew that it would need stitches. He looked up at him, but Louis didn’t look back. He looked like death. Harry checked his pulse, but it was very faint. He ordered Niall to get him something to bind the wound. Zayn and Liam finally joined them. Harry looked like he was almost in tears. Then he said,” We need a needle and thread or he’s going to bleed out.”

Liam replied,” We don’t have any more medical supplies.”

“Then go find some.”

Liam sighed,” There’s not much we can do for him now.”

Zayn shoved Liam’s shoulder and said,” He saved Harry. It’s the least we can do.”

Liam conceded and the other three boys went in search of supplied.

Harry yelled,” Hurry! He….doesn’t have much time.”

         Harry sat there in silence with an unconscious Louis. He had stopped the bleeding for now. He had just met him, but he could not imagine this horrible world without him. Then he began to think about Louis dead. It was an unbearable thought that he wished to never come to fruition. By some dumb luck, Niall was able to find some material to stitch up the wound. It was going to be s shit job, but it would work to stop the bleeding. When Harry had finished his jagged craftsmanship, everyone waited to see what would happen next. Zayn checked Louis’ pulse, and to the shock of everyone he was still among the living…for now. Harry knew they shouldn’t move him, but if they didn’t the zombies would come to the flames. So Harry and Liam carefully carried the unconscious Louis for miles until they found another cabin. Liam and Harry placed him in the only bedroom. Liam and Zayne walked away to fortify their campsite for the night, while Niall and Harry stood over Louis’s body like guardian angels. Niall huffed, “I can’t believe he went back into that house.”

Harry sighed, “Yeah, it was a stupid thing to do.”

Niall placed his arm on Harry’s shoulder. “He wanted to do it.”

Harry nodded his head, and Niall left the room.

         Harry stood there for a few more minutes before he decided to take up refuge in the spot next to Louis. He didn’t want to disturb him, but he also wanted to be able to check on his breathing more easily. Harry sat cross legged eyes trained on Louis for any sudden movements. Louis began to move a little in his sleep and furrowed his brown. Harry knew this meant he was having a nightmare. For some reason he found himself paying extra attention to Louis since they had met. As if it was a reflex, Harry moved his long fingers to massage Loui’s temple. The slow movements seemed to help Louis go back to a more peaceful slumber. Then Harry didn’t know what possessed him to do this, but he started to gently stroke Louis’s hair. He swore he could even see the beginning of a smile start to form on Louis face. This caused Harry to smile from ear to ear. Even the smallest glimmer of happiness from him gave Harry so much joy in this moment. He knew from the moment that he met Louis things were going to change forever. Then Niall walked in with a wet towel and handed it to Harry. Niall either didn’t notice the affectionate caresses happening or he didn’t care. Niall stood at the foot of the bed, while Harry placed the rag on Louis’ head. Niall said, “Was there something going on with you two before I got there?”

Harry replied, “No, I hadn’t actually known him that much longer than you.”

Niall laughed, “So what you’re saying is that I’m watching a love story in the making.”

Harry chuckled, “Something tells me this will be more of a one-sided love affair.”

Niall seemed to have more to say on the matter, but chose to stay quiet. Sometimes events just have to unfold for themselves he thought.

         Louis found himself waking up in an unknown bed. He opened his eyes, but he was still disoriented from the fire. He was about to sit up, when a hand slowly but forcefully pushed him back down onto the bed. In confusion, he fluttered his eyes to the entity sitting next to him. When his vision cleared, he could see that it was Harry looking at him with worry visible on his face. Without a word, Louis tried to sit up, but again, he was met with the resistance of Harry’s hand. He didn’t like being weak, so he struggled against the other’s grip. Harry exerted slightly more force to push Louis back down. It wasn’t enough to hurt him, but the change on Harry’s face was enough to make Louis stay put this time. Harry was now slightly hovering over Louis with his hand still pressed to his chest. The stern expression on his face was resilient and looked over Louis’ face for another sign of resistance, which seemed to have dissipated. For good measure Harry stated, “Get up again and I’ll tie you to the bed.” Louis was shocked at this sudden change in the tall lanky awkward boy he had known from earlier. It didn’t seem possible for his character to shift into….well someone this dominant. Harry looked for confirmation from him, and without knowing it, Louis nodded his head. Then Harry slowly retracted his hand from the other’s chest and repositioned himself on his side of the bed and started to flip through an old magazine he had found on the bedside table. His expression seemed to change back to his carefree lovable self when he continued, “Niall, Liam, and Zayn are in the living room.”

Louis considered getting up to check the perimeter, but Harry interjected, “I already checked. Zayn is currently on watch, while Niall and Liam sleep.”

He continued to nonchalantly flip through the pages of the magazine as Louis asked, “How did you know what I was thinking?”

Harry chuckled, “I haven’t been with you long, but I am starting to pick up your mannerisms.”

He scoffed at this. Then Louis finally recognized the pain in his leg. He could feel the stitches scratching against his fragile skin. “Who stitched me up?”

“Me…sorry, but the scar won’t be pretty.”

Louis scoffed, “Why the fuck would I care. It’s not like anyone is going to be seeing me naked.”

He noticed Harry staring at him after that comment. He wasn’t quite sure why, but Harry’s appearance has suddenly changed to be more mischievous in nature. Before he could dissect his gaze, it was gone as quickly as it came.

Harry stood up. “I’m going to get you some water. Do not think about moving.”

         Harry walked into the living room to see Niall sleeping on a chair in what appeared to be an uncomfortable position only previously performed by contortionists. This made him laugh. Then he saw Liam had taken the couch, which would make sense with the alpha male pheromones he had been trying to exude since they first made contact with him. Zayn was sitting in the chair next to the couch watching over Liam as if he was his guardian angel. Harry recognized the longing stare that he was giving to the sleeping man on the couch. There was no denying that something was there. Harry decided to walk over to Zayn to see if he needed anything while he was up. Zayn looked up at him unsure of his intentions and said, “I’m still on watch for another hour.”

Harry replied, “No, I was just seeing if you needed anything.”

“Oh…no…thank you.”

Zayn had an awkwardness to his presence. He continued, “Sorry. I’m not use to people being polite. I didn’t really know what to say.”

Harry realized how hard it must have been for Zayn and Liam. He wondered what their experiences in the apocalypse had been. Harry didn’t want to pry, but he asked, “ Have you and Liam been together since the beginning?”

Zayn looked over at Liam and replied, “Yes, we…well we were college roommates when it all started.”

“Ah…college sweethearts.”

Zayn laughed, “Not in the slightest. He hated me. Liam was your typical jock, and I was well a nerd. He couldn’t stand being in the same room with me.”

Harry prodded, “What happened?”

He shrugged, “The apocalypse happened. We were together when it all started, and since then we’ve just stuck together.”

Harry nodded with understanding. “So does he know that you like him?”

Zayn glanced up to Harry. “Is it that obvious?”

“Just a bit.”

Zayn sighed, “I’ve liked him since the day we met, but he won’t admit that he has feelings for a guy.”

Harry replied, “Ohhhh….”

Harry didn’t want to open up old wounds, so he decided to leave the subject alone, and he started to walk towards the kitchen. While walking, Zayn continued, “Please don’t mention any of this to him. I don’t want him to start hating me again.” Harry could tell that there was more to the story from the pain that he saw on Zayn’s face, but he knew this was something that was too personal for the current level of friendship that they were exploring. Harry gave him a nod of affirmation, which made the other relax in his chair.

         Harry headed back to the room while Zayn got up to walk the perimeter again. As he walked to the backdoor, Liam’s eyes instantly soared open. There was a mixture of confusion and anger on his face. Liam immediately sat up on the couch. He wanted to run after Zayn and punch him for saying all of that stuff to a guy they barely knew. How could he discuss their personal business? Instead of acting rashly like he was usually inclined to do, he waited. Zayn returned to see Liam on the couch. He was reluctant to interact with him, so he sat in the chair and stayed silent. Liam made glances towards him, but the other was dodging the eye contact.

_Before the apocalypse in Liam and Zayn’s dorm room_

Zayn was working diligently on his music composition for class the next day. He was having a hard time concentrating with Liam blasting his music at full volume. Two neighbors had already come to complain, but they were scared by Liam’s angry demeanor. Zayn could tell that most of this macho man stuff was for show, but he played along with it….but it was slowly starting to wear thin on this particular night. He needed to get this work done, and he knew that Liam was doing this on purpose to get on his nerves. There was no way that his eardrums could take this much abuse.

Finally, Zayn walked over to Liam’s bed and demanded that he turn down the music. Liam, of course, ignored him as if he wasn’t even there. This angered Zayn, and he didn’t get angry often. He walked over to the cd player and disconnected it from the wall. This seems to make his presence suddenly reappear for Liam, because he was on his feet walking towards him with murder in his eyes. Before he could get his hands on his roommate, Zayn pushed Liam up against the wall. He didn’t know what came over him, but the confusion on the other’s face seemed to fuel his next moves. Liam looked like a deer caught in headlights. Zayn could feel Liam’s heart racing from how close their chests were touching. Liam seemed to have no words, so Zayn tenderly placed his lips on his roommates. He started moving his lips slowly to savor the taste. He placed his hands on the wall trapping Liam in his embrace. Liam fisted Zayn’s shirt into his palm. Neither of them was sure if this was done out of anger or if it was for leverage to deepen the kiss. Liam was hanging onto his shirt for dear life, when he pushed back into the kiss. Liam was fighting for dominance, but Zayn’s more experienced lips took control. The kiss was intense, but it wasn’t messy. In fact, it was fairly tame compared to what Zayn was used to. Zayn had been with both men and women, but in that moment, he had never tasted anything sweeter than the lips of his roommate. Then Zayn slowly moved a few inches away to give Liam a chance to breath. He was sure this would be a shock for him, because he was almost 100% certain that this was Liam’s first time kissing a guy. Liam seemed to still be dazed for a minute. As he started to gain his composure, the realization of what he had just done sank in. His facial features shifted to a more disturbed look. He pushed Zayn a few more inches back. He wasn’t sure if this was because he was mad or he was afraid of events repeating themselves. He didn’t know what to say about what had just happened. He was confused, angry, and scared of what this meant. He finally looked up at Zayn’s face, who was searching for some kind of reassurance that this wasn’t an accident. Liam knew he couldn’t give him that, so he stormed out of the room, while shouting “Fuck you!” as the door slammed hard enough to wake up their remaining neighbors. Zayn stood there. He didn’t know what to do either. All he knew for sure was that he wanted to keep kissing his roommate.

_Present_

         Liam continued to look at Zayn. Zayn’s invasice gaze was starting to gnaw at him. He was never good at starting conversations, and Zayn knew this. In fact, Liam suspected that was why Zayn never started serious conversations. It was like he wanted Liam to be the one to initiate it. Liam usually ignored this feeling, but this time he couldn’t. He huffed, “Why did you tell him that?”

Zayn sighed as he rested his head in his palm to rub his temple. “I thought you were asleep.”

“It doesn’t matter. You don’t know them, and they don’t need to know our personal business.”

Zayn was trying to keep his own anger at bay. Someone had to be level headed about all of this. “We need them. We should try to build some form of trust here.”

“I only need to trust you.”

Every once in a while Liam would say things like this, and it was the main thing that was still giving Zayn hope that one day Liam would realize they were perfect for each other.

“Then trust me when I say we need them.”

         Liam didn’t say anymore. He laid back down on the couch. Zayn wanted him to say more, but Liam always skirted around the real issue. He would always make something else their problem instead of his unwillingness to let Zayn in. Zayn never pushed though. He was too afraid of losing him. He was happy enough just knowing Liam trusted him enough to let Zayn watch his back while he slept.


End file.
